ORWO paper types

[Tor-Einar Jarnbjo]

The 'standard' FB paper produced by ORWO follows the same type designation used by most German paper manufacturers in the post-WW2 era. For example, ORWO BN111 can easily be 'decoded' as:

B = baryta-coated, fibre-based
N = normal grade (can be W, S, N, H or EH for increasing contrast)
first 1 = double weight
second 1 = bright white surface
third 1 = glossy

I have occasionally also seen paper codes, which do not start with B, e.g. LN, WN (Brom-W), PN (Portät) and BBN (Baryt Brilliant). Googling for information on the different paper types, I only find a few occasional claims, that ORWO only produced one type of paper, using the B prefix. That is obviously wrong.

Does anyone have any information about the other paper types and how they differ from the standard 'B' paper?

 

[dE fENDER]

I can only add some information, which you perhaps already know with relevance on 1970th (from magazine Sovetskoye Foto 1974/7, p. 39, but it didn't state that its Orwo, just "Encoding DDR photopaper"):

1. First digit - weight of paper: 1 - double weight, no number - single weight;
2. Second digit - tone of surface: 1 -white, 2- shamua. No number if white single weight;
3. Third digit - surface: 1 - glossy, half matte - 2, velvet - 2a, matte - 3, deep matte(rough) - 3e, silk - 6, embossed(?) - 7, little grain (lustre?)- 8;
4. First letter (kind of paper), second letter - grade: EW - extra soft, w - soft, s - special, n - normal, k - middle hard, h -hard, eh - extra hard;
5. Edge color of the label - grade(corresponds to letters): violet, dark green, light green, red, blue, blue, yellow.

 

[Tor-Einar Jarnbjo]

I can only add some information, which you perhaps already know with relevance on 1970th (from magazine Sovetskoye Foto 1974/7, p. 39, but it didn't state that its Orwo, just "Encoding DDR photopaper"):

This is the type number system not only used in East Germany, but AFAIK originally introduced by AGFA and later used by almost all German photo paper manufacturers. The numbering system is still used for the Foma papers. There are slight differences between the manufacturers, but the basics of the type system is well documented and easy to find information about.

My question was though, what the difference is between the paper types B (standard type, still readily available), L, W (Brom-W), P (Porträt) and BB (Baryta Brilliant).

 

[AgX]

From Agfa originate

-) paper code

-) taking filter code

-) dichroitic filter code

that turned generic.